


Civilised People Use Doors

by Jaxon



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Cokeworth, Domestic Violence, Explicit Language, F/M, HP AU, Tumblr Prompt, not quite canon compliant
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-01
Packaged: 2018-10-26 16:19:10
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,427
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10790181
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jaxon/pseuds/Jaxon
Summary: Hogwarts was magical but Lily and Severus realised that Cokeworth had its advantages; long lazy days without Potter and Black, or Avery and Mulciber.  No Gryffindor versus Slytherin wars, and most certainly no mention of Pureblood politics.Just Lily.  Just Severus.  With a record player, a bedroom, and some time to find what makes the other tick...





	Civilised People Use Doors

**Author's Note:**

> Following a discussion about the possibility of Severus and Lily losing their virginity to each other, I received the following prompt: 
> 
> not necessarily the whole sex thing but what about a short fic about how they got to that point?

She looked at him in horror, her eyes open wide.  Severus pressed his finger to his lips.

“Sev-”

“Shh!”  He sat with his back to his bedroom door, his hand flat against the floorboards feeling for vibrations.

“I thought you said he’d be in the pub all night-”

“Fucking hell, shut up,” he hissed, desperately.  “Mum might not care that you’re in here, but he will.”

She fell silent, wishing that she hadn’t pushed to visit his house – wishing that she hadn’t ignored her parents.  She understood now why her friend looked so drawn when she raised the topic of his parents arguing.  Screams followed shouts, and crashes followed bangs, and then Severus stood, decisively.

“Out,” he said, moving towards the window.  He yanked up the sash, and peered down into the rain soaked yard below.  “You can get down the drainpipe,” he said, pointing to the left of his window.  “I’ve done it a million times.”

“What about your dad?”

“He won’t notice,” he said.

“He will.  It’ll make a hell of a noise when I drop down.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, moving to the door.  “Pull the window behind you.”

With that, he left the room, his footsteps loud on the stairs and she heard his shaky teenage voice join the argument.  She realised what he’d done, what he’d given her opportunity to do, and she took it. She pulled the window down as she slipped out, and apart from scuffing her knee against the brickwork, she made it out unscathed.

She looked behind her as she darted out of the Snapes’ back yard, and as she opened the gate, she saw Severus facing off against his father through the kitchen window.  Severus caught her eye, and smiled – and the last thing she saw as the gate slammed shut was Tobias’ hand swinging through the air.

* * *

“When you said they argued…I didn’t realise it was like that.”

“It’s not,” Severus said, simply.  “Not all of the time.”

“Was it because I was there?”

“Nah, he didn’t even know. Drainpipe one, Idiot nil.”  He gave a sudden sharp laugh.  “In fact, I’ve escaped down it that many times, the scoreboard should read,” he affected a Muggle football score reader voice, “Drainpipe 76, Idiot nil.”

Lily didn’t laugh.

“Hey, c’mon,” he said. “No harm done.”

“No harm done?”  She ran her fingers slowly across his bruised cheek, and he caught them before she lowered them to his split lip.  “Sev…”

“He gets a bit handsy when he’s had too much to drink, that’s all,” he said, pulling her hand away from his face.  

“How often?”

“Not very,” he said, dismissively.  “Look, can we change the subject?”

“How often?”

He sighed.  “He lost his money.”

She looked stunned.  “He was mugged?”

“He plays in the pub. Cards, darts, dominoes, you name it,” Severus waved his hand.  “Whatever he can bet on.”  He shrugged. “He got wiped out.  Unlucky streak.  It happens.”

“And then he comes home and beats you?”

“Until then, it was good though, yeah?”  He propped himself up on his elbow.  “It was good being at mine for a change.”

She gave a stiff nod, not wanting to offend him.  

“No Tuney for a start,” he said, his grin wicked.  “And Mum doesn’t care how loud we put the music up, as long as she can cast a silencing spell downstairs first.”

“Mum doesn’t mind here either.”

He laughed loudly.  “She does!  She closed all the windows last week when we put Bowie on.”

“Only because you played Let’s Spend the Night Together eighteen times in a row.  And sang along.”  She narrowed her eyes.  “Badly.”

He gave her a mischievous look, and rifled through her record collection.  “Twenty pence says she’ll slam them no matter what I put on.”

“No deal.”

He grinned broadly.  “Back to mine then?”  He waved his hand at the music coming through the wall from Petunia’s bedroom.  “Or it’s the New Seekers all night?”

“I don’t mind the New Seekers.”

He scoffed.  “Since when?”

“Anyway, you’ve not heard my new stuff,” she said, leaning over him to pick a record.  “Have you heard Hot Chocolate yet?”

“If I sing along to that, your mum will definitely slam the windows,” he laughed, as she gently rested the record player’s arm onto the vinyl, and the tune started up.  “Lil!” he protested, his cheeks reddening.  “Bowie’s one thing, but this…”

“Mum!  Mum!”  Petunia’s voice rang out loudly, as she slammed her bedroom door.  “Mum, Lily’s being inappropriate with Severus again!”

“How’s your drainpipe?” he asked, pulling the sash window up, and hoisting his leg over the sill.  

* * *

“You know I trust you,” she said, handing her daughter a dishcloth.  “Don’t just stand there – wipe.”

“I know,” Lily said, defensively, picking up a sud covered plate.

“You went to his house.”

“…yes.”

“You know we don’t want you going there.”

“I won’t be going again.”

At this, her mother stopped washing the plate she was holding.  “Did something happen?”  

“Mum!  No!”  Lily’s cheeks filled with colour.  “It doesn’t matter what Tuney says.  We don’t see each other like that.”

“No?”

“We haven’t done anything.”

“So why don’t you want to go back?”

“His parents.  It’s awful.”  She wiped a glass and placed it back into the cupboard.  “You saw him?”

Her mother nodded.  “We’ve seen him with worse.”

“I saw it happen.” Lily closed the cupboard door softly. “I was out of the house – he got me out of the house.  But I saw it through the window.  I hadn’t really thought about it before.  Not like that.”  

Her mother carefully wiped her hands, and enveloped Lily into a hug.  “You can’t solve everything.”  She paused. “He is very welcome here.  There’s no need for you to go to his.”

“He said you don’t like his music.”

Her mother gave a tight smile.  “Keep the volume down after ten, that’s all I ask.”

“And Tuney is nasty to him. She’s always telling tales on us.”

“I will speak to Petunia about disturbing you.”

Lily gave a small smile. “Thanks, Mum.”

“Lily, whatever happens…”

“Mum!”

“Just…be sensible, won’t you?”

Lily folded the dishcloth and hung it over the radiator, her cheeks burning.  “Thanks Mum.”

“And Lily?  Please tell Severus that he’s not to climb out of the window.  Civilised people use doors.”  

* * *

“My turn tonight,” he said, his arms behind his back.

“What’ve you brought?”

“Close your eyes.”

She did, and listened to the familiar rustle of the record being removed from the sleeve and then the paper insert.  She heard his intake of breath as he lined up the stylus, and the subsequent hiss of static.

“Elton John?  I thought this was your mum’s?”

“It is.”  He sat on the bed next to her, and passed her the Greatest Hits sleeve.  “But I like the first one.”  He shrugged. “You can put on what you want after this track.”

She listened intently to the lyrics, and then stood as the track faded out.  She gently lifted the arm of the player, and set it back to the start.  

“You like it?”

She smiled, and settled down next to him.  “I know you like to play songs at least eighteen times.”  She nudged his arm with her head.  “Aren’t you going to sing?”  

He flushed, and scratched his ear.  “It’s a bit soppy.”

“I thought I was your best friend.”

“You are,” he said, earnestly.

“So who else are you going to sing it to?  Narcissa Black?”

“I told you that in confidence!” he said, standing.  “I’m going the loo.”  He tapped the sleeve.  “Put something else on, will you?”  

* * *

He stood at the door, looking embarrassed.  “I thought you were putting something else on.”

“I thought you were going to sing to me.”

“Lily…”

“Just pretend I’m not here. Pretend you’re at home.”

He groaned as he sank back down on the bed.  “I don’t want to pretend that.”

“Close your eyes,” she said, firmly, taking his hands in her own.  The second verse kicked in, and she started to sing to him.

“Lily,” he laughed, as she got the lyrics wrong – badly wrong.

“What?  I’ve only heard it three times,” she said.  “How am I supposed to know all of the words if you won’t teach me?”

He gave a tight smile, and still holding her hands, his eyes firmly closed, he started to sing along with her.  This time, as the music faded out, he could feel her breath hot against his face, and then her lips against his.  

**Author's Note:**

> The song Severus plays is Your Song, by Elton John.
> 
> I don't really write song fic, nor do I particularly see Severus as an Elton fan - but I think he makes an exception for Your Song, because he hears the lyrics, and they speak to him - particularly the line about making potions:
> 
> I don’t have much money but boy, if I did  
> I’d buy a big house where we both could live  
> If I was a sculptor but then again, no  
> Or a man who makes potions in a travelling show  
> Oh, I know it’s not much but it’s the best I can do  
> My gift is my song, and this one’s for you  
> And you can tell everybody this is your song  
> It may be quite simple but now that it’s done  
> I hope you don’t mind, I hope you don’t mind, that I put down in words  
> How wonderful life is while you’re in the world


End file.
